By Edgar Corona
Aztec Gold Online

With the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos in our rear view mirror, I decided to kick off the holiday season with a movie that is perfect for the occasion. I could think of no better choice than Mexican Director Jorge Gutierrez’s “Book of Life.”

The animated movie, set in Mexico, has Mexican folklore and spirituality at its heart. The story takes place in the city of San Angel. There are two gods in the land. La Muerte (voiced by Kate del Castillo) is the god that rules the land of the remembered, which is the place where people go when they die, and Xibalba (voiced by Ron Perlman), is the god who rules the land of the forgotten. When someone who has passed away is forgotten, they are sent there.

The story begins when the two gods make a wager. Two young men, Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna) and Joaquin (voiced by Channing Tatum) are competing for the heart of a young girl named Maria (voiced by Zoe Saldana). Xibalba is tired of living in the land of forgotten and says if Joaquin marries Maria, he will rule the land of the remembered.

The movie is a funny, action-packed family adventure. It has a unique story and a beautiful art style. It has memorable characters, a story with many twists and turns, and overall it is just a well-made movie. I would highly recommend “Book of Life” if you are into adventure and family movies.

Although this is a great movie, it isn’t perfect. There are some holes in the plot that would make you wonder, “why didn’t the character just do this?” And although this film does have memorable characters, some characters seem to be copied off of other movies.

Even though “Book of Life” has some flaws, it is still a great time and is worth your money. Although it is not the best film of the year, I would still recommend it for both children and adults of all ages. Overall, I give the “Book of Life” three and a half stars out of five.